Weekly Update – February 23rd, 2023
When we think our lives as Christians, one aspect of our Christian walk should be a motivation for holiness. This is clearly displayed, for example, in Ephesians 2:1-10 with the apostle Paul giving an exposition of the gospel from beginning to end. In verses 1-3, he explains our life before Christ as desperate sinners. In verses 5-9, he explains what God has done for us in Christ to rescue us from our desperate state. Then in verse 10, Paul explains what this all leads to. He says “for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. . .” What becomes evident is that the truth of the gospel leads to our salvation, but this truth also leads to our holiness.
An author who is very clear on how the gospel leads to holiness is Jerry Bridges. If you are ever looking for a book on Christian growth, just about anything he has written would be a great investment. Here is what he says about understanding the gospel and meditating on it daily: “the gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it. … Christians are not instructed in the gospel. And because they do not fully understand the riches and glory of the gospel, they cannot preach it to themselves, nor live by it in their daily lives.”
In the third chapter of The Discipline of Grace, Bridges provides a clear and powerful explanation of the gospel and does this by looking at Romans 3:19-26. His exposition of this passage leads to this imperative: Preach the gospel to yourself. Let me display what this means with an extended quote:
“To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.
To preach the gospel to yourself means that you take at face value the precious words of Romans 4:7-8: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
It means that you believe on the testimony of God that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). It means you believe that “Christ redeemed [you] from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for [you], for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). It means you believe He forgave you all your sins (Colossians 2:13) and now “[presents you] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22).
In order to grow in holiness, we can never simply “get saved” and then follow a bunch of commands. We must fix our eyes on God and his great mercy shown to us through Christ. Then and only then will we learn how to forgive, live humbly with each other, patiently endure with one another, bear each other’s burdens, etc. Keep this truth in your hearts and meditate on God and his great love shown through Christ daily.
Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson
Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson
Fighter Verse for the Week
"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. [Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.]" - Psalm 37:5-6 [7-8]
Announcements:
Clothes Closet: On Saturday, February 25th, from 8:00am-11:00am, First Baptist Church will open the clothes closet for the community. Masks are required. If you would like to help, come that Saturday at 8:00am.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Alexander Granados, president of Calvary University, will be preaching for us this Sunday (2/26). Dr. Granados has been the president of Calvary University since January 2021. He is originally from Bogota, Columbia and has served in numerous capacities in higher education. He and his wife, Dorian, have two daughters. You can go HERE to learn more about Dr. Granados.
Nursing Home Ministry: Once a month, First Baptist Church will conduct a worship service at the Village at Carrol Park off of Truman Road. The first service will be held this Sunday (2/26) at 1:00pm. It will be a shortened service (about 25 minutes) with a few hymns and a message preached. Service will be held in the Dining Room. All are welcome to come.
Elder Q&A: On March 12th at 6:00pm, there will be a question and answer time for prospective elders. The men who are being nominated are Clint Blankenship, Scott Neal and David Hutchison. If you have a question that you would like asked that evening, please submit it to to the offering box or to the office before that date.
Bible Study: The Women’s Bible Study will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm on Tuesdays, beginning February 21st. Sheryl Nelson will lead Jen Wilkin’s study “Abide.”
Food Train: Matthew and Nicole Stanwix are expecting their second son on February 23rd. More information about the food train for the Stanwix family can be found in the email update or by contacting the office.
Baby Sprinkle: All ladies of the church are invited to a baby sprinkle for Faith Dove at 2pm on Sunday, March 12th. Please let Trisha Neal or Faith Anne Norman know if you plan to attend.
Disaster Relief: If you would like to give to disaster relief for the earthquake in Turkey, visit Missouri Disaster Relief HERE and select the “Disaster Relief – Turkey Earthquake” fund.
Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are still needed during the 10:30am nursery time. Check the update or email the office for more information on how you can serve.
Awana
Join us for Awana Bible Clubs on Wednesday nights. Dinner is at 6:00pm and Awana Clubs are from 6:30-8:00pm.
Equipping Hour
We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. War of Words will meet in the Sanctuary, a biblical exposition of Joel, Amos, and Obadiah will meet in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament will meet in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.
Giving
To Give Online, Go HERE.
You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030
Home Groups
Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.
Prayer
An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE.
Prepare for Sunday
Guide for Worship can be found HERE.
Worship Service
Worship Service begins at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. Nursery care for children ages 0-4 years is available during the worship hour.
Livestream
Continue to join us at 10:30am on Sunday mornings.
Facebook live: HERE.
YouTube: HERE.
Join us and invite a friend or family member to watch with you.
Sunday School
Children and Youth Sunday School take place at 9:15am on Sunday mornings.
Ages 0-4 meet in the nursery suite.
Grades K-3rd meet upstairs in U-5.
Grades 4th-6th meet upstairs in U-6.
Grades 7th-12th meet downstairs in the youth room.
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